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Jose Ruedas pitches Chatsworth to record 10th L.A. City baseball title in 2-0 win over Birmingham

Ruedas threw a complete-game shutout, striking out six

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Chatsworth head coach Marcus Alvarado couldn't believe it.

"Is this real?" he thought to himself when Birmingham's Johan Ceja flew out to Chatsworth third baseman Diego Tafolla clinching a 2-0 L.A. City Section Open Division title for Chatsworth, the school's first since 2009 and record 10th overall.

Senior pitcher Jose Ruedas threw a complete game in a performance Alvarado called his "best" of the season. Ruedas allowed only four hits and struck out six at Dodger Stadium. In the bottom of the seventh inning, he gave up a leadoff single to Vince Cervantes, but retired the next three batters he faced to win the game.

"It was a big occasion and I love big occasions," Ruedas said. "This is where I thrive. It just pumps me up. I turn into a different animal."

Chatsworth used small ball to score their first run of the game. In the top of the third, the Chancellors loaded the bases with back to back bunts from Daniel Arellano and Dominick Camas (Arellano reached base on an error and Camas' was a single) and then Jonathan Cerda was hit by a pitch, which scored Ryan Herrera. 

In the top of the fifth inning with runners on first and second, Herrera grounded a ball to Cervantes at shortstop and he misfired on his throw to first. The throwing error brought home Octavio Bonilla making the score 2-0 Chatsworth. 

"This was a team effort," Alvarado said.

Chatsworth ended a 13 year championship drought with the win. The Chancellors may have the most City titles all time, but their most recent came in 2009. Prior to Saturday, Chatsworth had fell short in championship games in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017. 

Alvarado was hired at Chatsworth from Kennedy High School in June of 2020 hoping to build his own legacy with the Chancellors. In only two seasons in charge, he's already reached the top.

"This means that all of the players that put on the uniform and didn't have the opportunity to be here and the players that were here and didn't win it, this is for them," Alvarado said. "This is for the program. This is for the people that put in the work, for everybody here."

BIRMINGHAM COMES UP SHORT

The Patriots used three pitchers on Saturday. Jake Amado got the start throwing five innings and allowing one run. Kaden Taque was credited for an unearned run in the sixth inning and Ricardo Martinez pitched the last two innings in defeat.

Cervantes, Gavin Taylor and Dominic Ramirez recorded the four hits for the Patriots in the game.